Bubble Watch: Who needs a good Barclays?

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In the weeks leading up to THE PLAYERS this year, the PGA TOUR had an advertisement asking "Do you think you know what pressure is?"

For the bubble boys at The Barclays, they will soon find out.

PLAYOFFS

Current standings
Playoffs Guidebook
Burning questions
Who's up, down?
Points in the Playoffs
Updates, notes
FedExCup 101
FedExCup video

The PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup get under way this week with 123 players teeing it up at Plainfield Country Club. Only the top 100 in FedExCup points after The Barclays will move on to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship.

For the players outside the top 90 in the latest FedExCup standings, the objective this week is simple: Play well and advance to TPC Boston. Moving on means a player is still in the running for the FedExCup and all the perks that come with it (including the $10 million winner's share).

There is no next week for a player outside the top 100 who misses the cut at The Barclays. Actually, there's no next month because the next TOUR event they will be able to play will be the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (Sept. 29-Oct. 2).

Any player who fails to qualify for the second round of the Playoffs and isn't otherwise exempt will probably need to join those who missed the Playoffs in the Fall Series to retain full status on the PGA TOUR in 2012.

The good news for the bubble boys, however, is that with the spike in available FedExCup points for Playoffs events, there's more ability to make a big move up the standings -- and fast.

For an example of this, look no further than No. 112 Heath Slocum, who entered the Playoffs in 2009 at No. 124, won The Barclays and moved to No. 3. Winning a Regular Season TOUR event from the same position that year would probably have moved Slocum to around 35th in the standings.

While Slocum's jump inside the top five in the standings was uncommon, moves into the second Playoffs event are not quite as difficult to come by. In the two years of the current points distribution format, a total of nine players have moved up from outside the top 100 into the Deutsche Bank Championship field with solid Barclays showings.

Below are the players on the bubble -- those outside or within 10 spots of the 100-man cut line for the Deutsche Bank Championship -- and their past performances at The Barclays.